Board taps brakes on county hiring

In response to the COVID-19 impact on the local economy and health, the Carlton County board of commissioners approved a limited freeze on hiring, with the board pledging to make a step-by-step study of each position before a new person is hired.

There was lengthy discussion on budget and personnel matters during the regular board meeting Tuesday, May 12. Acting auditor/treasurer Kathy Korteum reported that spring property tax payments are about 5 percent below other years and the final figure will not be known until after May 15 when payments made by mail and some arriving after that date are received.

“Flexibility in this age of COVID-19 is needed,” said county coordinator Dennis Genereau, “and a flat hiring freeze is not the answer. We need to have a careful decision making process about who are essential employees, to keep important county services functioning until the epidemic has passed.”

Some of the programs in Carlton County generate the money to run their departments. The recorder’s office has a revenue stream from recording fees and the sale of copies of recorded documents, for example. The land department uses revenue from timber sales and tax-forfeited land sales to cover the wages of two staff. There had been one staff member to answer calls, work on special projects, and fill in when a forester was needed on a sale site. This position remains unfilled and will not be considered again until after the pandemic is over.

Dave Lee, director of health and human services, explained that his team assesses every position that is under consideration to fill.

“During this period of tight funding we have decided not to fill two positions,” he said.

“But that cannot go on indefinitely. A financial worker has retired and the board will get a request to fill that key position.”

Via livestream, commissioner Dick Brenner said he felt no new positions should be filled, and filling current positions should be scrutinized closely. Commissioner Gary Peterson made a motion, which passed, to have the management team discuss possible staffing changes and efficiencies as a cost-cutting measure. The report is to be presented to the adjourned session of the board on May 25.

In a related item of news, in following Governor Walz’s health guidelines, the beach will be closed in the county’s Chub Lake Park. No large events will be held there and no groups of more than 10 people will be allowed at the park.

There was a discussion about the current cost of the new Barnum garage and a clarification of the motion made at the adjourned meeting in April. The county engineer had been given approval to borrow completion funds from the county’s excess general funds. The motion was amended to add that any extra funds borrowed from the general fund would need county board approval and the highway department would have five years to repay the borrowed amount.

Commissioner Mark Thell said he would prefer no more half-percent sales tax revenue be used to fill the gap in funding for the garage.

Heather Cunningham, administrator of zoning and environmental services, gave an update of challenges at the county transfer station. A total of 275 private-party customers came to the transfer station May 11, on a day that regular garbage trucks traditionally come to unload. The line stretched onto the shoulder of Highway 210 and caused waiting times from 45 to 60 minutes. This prompted two trucks to haul their loads to the Superior landfill because they still had routes to cover. Cunningham said no recycled materials that come from the county’s recycling sheds are put into landfills — the collected materials are processed for reuse in other forms.